B.T?. 


|  II  m  .-(.  : 


HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES,   February   12,1863.     Read 
first  and  second  times  and  i  to  Committee  on  Medical    Depart- 

ment.    February  _M,  I  i  k,  committee  discharged, 

laid  on  table  and  ord<  i 

f  By  Mr.  Clark,  of  (< 


A.    BILL 

Regulating  the  granting  furloughs  and  discharges  in  Hospitals, 

1  Section  1 .    The  Congress  of  the  Cat) federate  Stales  of  America  do 

2  enact,  That   sick,  wouxuied,   and   disabled  soldiers   in    Hospitals, 

3  shall  be  entitled  to  furloughs  and  discharges  under  the  following 

4  rules   and  regulations  :     All   Hospitals   having   patients  to  the 

5  number  of  six   hundred,  or   upwards,  shall  organize  a   Board   of 
(!  Examiners  from  the  Surgeons  and  Assistant  Surgeons  in  charge 

7  of  said  Hospital — -which   Board   shall  consist  of  not  less  than 

8  three,  nor  more  than  five — and  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  examine 

9  applicants  for  furlouglu  and  discharges.     And  in  all  cases  when 

10  they  shall  find  the  applicant  for  furlough,  unfit  for  military  duty, 

1 1  either  from  disease  or  wounds,  and  who  in  their  opinion  is  likely 
11  to  remain  so  unfit  for  duty  for  the  period  of  thirty  days  or  longer, 


2 

* 

13  the    said  Board  shall  grant  a  furlough  to  such  applicant  for  such 

14  time  as  they  shall  adjudge  him  unfit  for  duty,  in  no  cafe  to  exceed 
\o  sixty  day  a. 

1  Sec.   '2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said 

2  Board  to  examine  applicants  for  discharge,  and  when  they  shall 

3  determine  that  the   applicant,  cither  from   disease  or  wounds,  is 

4  permanently  unfit  for  military  duty,  they  shall  grant  a  discharge. 

1  Six.  3.  B?  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 

2  Board    to  keep  a   Secretary,  who    shall  issue  all    furloughs  and 

3  discharges  by  order  of  the  Board,  and  shall   specify   therein  the 

4  place    of    residence   of   the  soldier,  the  company,  regiment  and 

5  brigade  in  which  he  performed  military  service.     And  in  case  of 

6  furloughs,  the  time  for  which  the  same  was  granted,  shall  be  in- 

7  serted.     In  discharges,  the  disease  or  vtvound,  on  which  the  dis- 
H  charge  was  based. 

1  Sec.   4.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 

2  Board  through  its  Secretary  each  day  to  report  fully  to  the  com- 

3  manding  officer   in  the  military  district  in  which  the  Hospital  is 

4  located,  a  list   of  the  furloughs  and  discharges  granted  on  the 

5  day  previous.  , 

1  Sec   5.  Be  it  farther  enacted,  That  when  the  Hospitals  of  any 

2  place   do    not    respectively    contain   the  number  of  six  hundred 

3  patients,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Surgeons  in  charge  of  two  or 

4  more  of  such  Hospitals  nearest  each  other,  to  unite  in  forming  a 


3 

5  Board  of  Examiners,  with  the  same  powers  as  set  out  in  section  one 

6  (1),  and  such  Board  so  constituted,  shall  be  the  examiners  of  all 

7  and  each  Hospital  represented  on  the  Board. 

1  Skc.  6.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That   in  places  where  there  is 

2  but  one  Hospital,  and  when  the  number  of  patients  do  not  reach 

3  six   hundred,  the   Medical  Director  shall  appoint  one    or   more 

4  fit   and   proper  persons  to  associate  with  the  Surgeon  in  charge, 

0  and  these  shall  fill  the   Board  from   the  Assistant  Surgeons  on 
b'  duty  in   said  Hospital,  and  which   Board    so    constituted,  shall 

7  have  the  same  powers  as  set  out  in  the  preceding  sections  of  this 

8  bill. 

1  Skc.   7.  Be  it  further  emitted,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 

2  Secretary  of  the  Board  to  procure   for  all  discharged  and  fur- 

3  loughed  soldiers,  passports,  transportation  or  any  other  rights  or 

4  privileges  to  which  he  may  be  entitled. 

1  Sec  S.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  sliaH  be  the  duty  of  the 

2  Board  in  granting  discharges  and  furloughs,  to  order  in  cases   of 

3  discharge,  that  the   soldier   at  the   erfft  of  three  months,  report 
1  himself  to  the  enrolling   officer  nearest  his   residence.     And  in 

5  case  of  furlough,  that  the  soldier  report  to  his  company  at  or 

6  before  the  end  of  his  furlough,  and  on  failure  so  to  do,  on  account 
[7  of  continued  unfitness  for  duty,  that  he   then  repprt  to  the  en- 

8  rolling  officer  of  his  district. 


1   Ff 


